Nine Connecticut pies make list of 101 best pizzas in the U.S.

Lidia Ryan

Updated
2:55 pm EDT, Thursday, October 4, 2018

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Nine Connecticut pies make list of 101 best pizzas in the U.S.

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Is Connecticut the pizza capital of the United States? According to food site Daily Meal, it's up there. The Nutmeg State is home to nine pies on the site's annual list of the 101 best pizzas in America.

The top five states for pizza are New York (36 pizzerias), California (10 pizzerias), Connecticut (9 pizzerias), New Jersey (7 pizzerias) and Illinois (6 pizzerias). It's not surprise that in Connecticut, the majority of the winners are found in the New Haven area, but Stamford holds its own with two spots out of the nine.

And not only that, Frank Pepe's famous white clam pizza reigns supreme at number one in the whole country. Others include BAR New Haven's quirky mashed potato pie, Colony Grill's iconic hot oil pie and a few plain pies that don't even have cheese on them.

"We believe the following qualities are basic to the platonic pie: a nuanced sauce, neither too sweet nor too salty (assuming that the pie has sauce); good-quality, well-distributed cheese (assuming that it has cheese); good-quality and sensibly combined toppings; a flavorful, savory crust; and, perhaps most important aside from the overall quality of the ingredients, a judicious, well-balanced, and pleasing ratio of sauce, cheese, toppings, and crust that maintains a structural integrity no matter the style."

Then they turn to 59 pizza panelists (chefs, restaurant critics, bloggers, writers, and other pizza authorities) like Taste of New Haven's Colin M. Caplan, A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours' Tony Muia and Chicago Pizza Tours' Jonathan Porter. Panelists are only allowed to vote on places where they have eaten. Nearly 1,000 pizzas in total were considered in 2018, a hundred more than 2017.

"We've always prided ourselves on seeking out the best, most trustworthy way of reliably ranking America's pizza greatness," the site writes.